This invention is in the field of indicators for determining when a bin is full and in particular a such an indicator that may be moved from one bin to another.
There are presently numerous bin full indicators for indicating when the level of particulate material such as grain is reaching the top of a bin or other bulk container. There are pop-up devices wherein an indicator rises above the bin roof in response to the pressure of the particulate material on an arm located near the roof on the inside of the bin. Some bins have windows near the top so a visual check will show that the bin is full. Various electronic means are also used wherein a change in the resistance, capacitance or other electrical property of a sensor indicates, through a monitor and alarm operatively connected thereto, that the material in the bin has reached the level of the sensor. Alternatively a switch, such as a mercury switch, may be activated by the pressure of grain against the switch, or the material may interrupt the light beam in a photo-electric cell thereby triggering an alarm.
The problem with these prior art bin full indicators is that there must be a sensor mounted in each bin, which is costly. The monitor unit may be moved from bin to bin and connected to the sensor at each bin, but there is a sensor permanently installed in each bin. These systems are not only costly, but the numerous sensors and there assorted hardware or wiring must be maintained, thus increasing the time and cost involved in using such indicators.
In applications such as agricultural grain bins, each bin is usually filled only once a year, and a single farm often has 20-30 bins and often many more than that. Farmers are reluctant to spend the considerable funds required to install a sensor of the prior art indicators in each of these bins, some of which could be quite small. As a result the general practice in spite of the available technology is to repeatedly climb to the top of the bin and look in to monitor when the bin is full. Especially in the dark, when considerable harvesting is done, this can be dangerous, especially when the bin becomes full before the operator thinks it should be, causing him to rush down the ladder to turn off the auger filling the bin before grain is spilled.
Many farmers like to fill each bin to its maximum, as they often are short of storage space and every bushel in a bin is one that doesn""t have to be stored on the ground in the open. As a result, it is often the case that the descent from the bin roof is hurried, and it is not rare for accidents to occur.
A bin full indicator that was portable would be advantageous, drastically reducing costs and maintenance. The same equipment would be used in each bin, thus reducing the number of sensors to one. Such an indicator that allowed for temporary installation of the sensor in the bin from the ground would be further advantageous, removing the need to climb to the bin roof to insert the sensor through the bin roof access door.
It is the object of the present invention to provide a portable bin full indicator with the sensor and monitor thereof transportable from bin to bin wherein installation is accomplished by inserting the sensor thereof into an upper portion of the bin, such as through a roof access door.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide such an indicator wherein the sensor can be installed while the operator is standing on the ground.
The invention accomplishes its objects providing in one aspect a portable bin full indicator comprising a sensor operable to send a signal when the level of particulate material in a bin reaches substantially the level of the sensor; means to temporarily secure said sensor in a top portion of said bin, an alarm operatively connected to said sensor such that said alarm is activated by said signal; and a battery to supply electrical power to said sensor and alarm.
The sensor may be a switch, such as a mercury switch or photo-electric switch, or a sensor wherein a change in electrical properties such as capacitance or resistance is caused by the material contacting the sensor. All that is required is a sensor that will send a signal to activate the alarm when the material in the bin reaches the level of the sensor. Depending on the sensor used, the material level relative to the sensor position required to send the signal may be higher or lower, but can be readily determined.
The alarm may be a visual alarm such as light, or an audible alarm, such as a siren, or any alarm or combination of alarms that will be noticeable to the operator to indicate that the bin is full.
The means to secure the sensor in a top portion of the bin can be any means by which the sensor be located near the desired full bin level such that it will be activated when the level of material in the bin reaches the level of the sensor.
The sensor, means to secure the sensor, alarm and battery are preferably mounted on an indicator assembly so as to be easily portable as a unit.
The means to temporarily secure the sensor could comprise a hanger attached to the sensor and adapted to hang from a portion of the bin. The hanger could conveniently comprise a handle having a top end and a bottom end and further comprise a lateral member having an inside end attached to the sensor and an outside end attached to the top end of the handle wherein the handle and the lateral member are oriented relative to each other such that the inside end of the lateral member can extend into the top portion of the bin through a roof access door or the like, when the handle is on the outside of the bin. The hanger could further comprise a sensor member having an upper end attached to the inside end of the lateral member and a lower end attached to the sensor, the sensor member, lateral member and handle oriented relative to each other such that when the handle is substantially vertical the lateral member extends away from the handle and the sensor member extends downwards from the inside end of the lateral member.
The orientation of the sensor member, lateral member and handle could be adjustable and at least one of the sensor member, lateral member and handle could have a length that may be adjusted so as to allow proper orientation for different bins and the location of bin roof access doors relative to the bin roof eaves.
The hanger could basically comprise a hook and a handle wherein the sensor is attached at an inside end of the hook and wherein a top end of the handle is attached to an outside end of the hook. The alarm and battery could be conveniently mounted on the hook or the handle thereby making up an indicator assembly that could be easily carried from place to place.
The handle could have a length that is adjustable such that an operator standing beside a bin may extend the handle to a length sufficient to insert the inside end of the hook into a roof access door of the bin. The assembly would then simply hang on the bin. The alarm and battery could be mounted in proximity to a bottom end of the handle thereby keeping the upper part of the assembly as light as possible and easier to control.
In a second aspect the invention provides a portable bin full indicator comprising a hook, having an inside end and an outside end; a sensor attached to the inside end of the hook and operable to send a signal when the level of particulate material in a bin reaches substantially the level of the sensor; an alarm mounted on the hook and operatively connected to the sensor such that the alarm is activated by the signal; and a battery mounted on the hook to supply electrical power to the sensor and alarm.
Conveniently the hook has a length sufficient so that an operator standing beside a bin holding the outside end of the hook can insert the inside end of the hook into a roof access door of the bin. The hook remains in place hanging on the bin when the operator releases the outside end thereof.
may be adjusted such that an operator standing beside a bin holding the outside end of the hook can extend the hook to a length sufficient to insert the inside end of the hook into a roof access door of the bin, the hook remaining in place hanging on the bin when the operator releases the outside end thereof. The hook could be an arched hook sized to allow for proper orientation in the bin.
The hook could also comprise a handle, a lateral member, and a sensor member wherein the sensor member is attached at a lower end thereof to the sensor and at an upper end thereof to an inside end of the lateral member, and wherein the lateral member is attached at an outside end thereof to a top end of the handle. The lengths of the handle, lateral member, and sensor member could be adjustable, as could the angle between the members, thereby allowing considerable adjustment for various bin configurations.